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Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Blackberry Zombies




The meeting was about to start but the MD was not yet on seat.  While waiting at the round table someone played with his pen on the table, another drew sketches of meaningless abstract art on his jotter, another person read a newspaper or while another a magazine, someone listened to music via earpiece connected to her phone and four people sat glued to their blackberry phones tapping away on the keypads like their life depended on it.

I’m walking down the corridor to the Audio-Visual studio and I come across an intern leaning against the wall, a blackberry in her hands, her face glued like an electrified zombie to its screen. She hardly notices me passing by.

A colleague boards a commercial bus and hands his fare to the conductor. Next to him is seated a casually dressed young man tapping away on his blackberry. The conductor calls for his fare, dude hears not. His eyes are glued with glee to his phone, all attention totally sucked into the little glowing demon in his hands. The conductor hollers at him, jerking his attention. Dude holds blackberry in one hand, eyes still hooked to the screen, uses the other hand to bring out fare and hand it over to the pissed-off conductor without turning from his phone or paying mind to the invective from the conductor.

Ever seen a car pull over just for its driver to whip out his blackberry and ping on it? Or a person spend a long time in the toilet not because the shit was too harsh to offload but because they had to do something very ‘important’ on their blackberry?

Okay. I don’t need to give too many examples. By now you might have guessed the issue I’m trying to hit.
 The blackberry phone, no doubt, is a gadget of convenience; it’s like carrying your own computer and internet around. It gives you instant access to your network of friends and you are able to chat or do business anytime, anywhere. I know it’s not a new technology so don’t get the idea that I’m talking like it’s one.

A few years earlier in Nigeria the blackberry was not a phone that just anybody could afford because it fell in the category of high end phones but as the GSM awareness caught Naija by storm with tech savvy phones appearing now and again, and with Asian copycat versions flooding the market, the prize fell and the blackberry became a ‘pure water’ phone. To make matters worse, the Chinese copycat is also available at a cheaper price (Chai! These Chinkos sabi spoil market!).

So what happens when people find out they can own a blackberry without paying thru the nose? You guessed right – every Tom, Dick and Hilary gets one. Don’t be surprised if you see a Naija commercial bus conductor tapping away on a blackberry.

Well, those may be the pros but the cons would be the fact that this hand held mobile cretin has stolen the lives of many its owners. Now people are so comfy wasting precious time on their blackberry phones they end up not having time for other things. Nope, it’s not because they are doing any important research but because it’s become the bonafide ‘amebo’ social network thanks to its benefit of instant ping chatting and Facebook. It has turned many people into zombies; their attention is more fixed on the thrills of useless gists, downloading and forwarding of pics, images, music and videos. I remember I blogged about the menace Facebook had become some time back. Thanks to the blackberry, it’s more amplified than ever. 


Image courtesy www.blackberrycool.com

Everywhere you find a blackberry, there’s constant lack of attention. Don’t ever discuss anything with anybody who’s holding onto a blackberry. If a chat ping comes in, you just might get ignored for some minutes. And trust me, it can be so annoying.

Oh…did I tell you that there’s a toy version for kids? Kai! Isn't that a bit too early for dem youngsters?

For that lady or guy that loves attention from his/her man or woman, please don’t ever buy him/her a blackberry for a gift! The moment you do that, you’ve got yourself a RIVAL! I know this because even my wife had to fight me over the fact that my laptop was becoming her rival for attention…lol.

I like the idea of the blackberry and its use…but I’m just afraid of ever getting one. Apart from the fact that I usually hate joining a bandwagon trend, I also dread the fact that it might steal some of my hard-conserved precious time – like the one I spend reading and meditating on my Bible. 

That’s true…even without the blackberry, many who take their spiritual life serious are still try hard to have time to spend with God. Now that the blackberry is here and they own one what happens?

Oh Blackberry…you’re such a distractive devil!

Hence I keep away from this 'winch' of a gadget before it infects me with its telephony virus and turn me into one of its zombies!




18 comments:

  1. hahah it is really an evil genius. Different technologies are coming up so fast we don't have the time used to one before another one pops out. It is a wa.

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  2. True talk!..here i was asking hubby to get one for me as val gift!.. I HAVE CHANGED MY MIND!

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  3. I also have been very reluctant to get a BB. I will be getting one sooner than I thought, primarily for updates on the stock market. If you do get one, it is very likely that it comes with a Bible Ap or you can download one to use for your devotion. I am very diciplined so i will not be texting and emailing every second.

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  4. LOL...I have a BB but so far I have managed not to get sucked in. One way is by limiting the BB PIN distribution and chat stuff.

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  5. It takes a lot of discipline and determination not to lose one's time to the Blackberry. And you must admit the device has its benefits.
    My bet is, you'll be getting one sooner than you think...

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  6. I agree with u 100%, i mean, 100%. this is so on-pont and for all the same reason, i have decided not to get one.I so love u n this. Cheers!!!

    http://successkatalyst.blogspot.com

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  7. The BB thing is a real issue, I was told 2 days a ago of a guy that died in a car crash, because he was typing away on his BB while driving.
    It has its advantages though... but people have to exercise caution

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  8. @BSNC…abi o! That fact really pisses me off.

    @Ibhade…lol! Just don’t forget that it still has its positive uses…if u are disciplined about it.

    @Ifeoluwa…Thanks Ife! Infact, you just hinted some of its good uses…provided one is disciplined about it.

    @Myne Whitman…hmm…I sort of trust u on that Myne cuz I know u’re the type that won’t get carried away.
    @SHE…lol! You aint far from wrong my sista. I’ve been tempted times without number!

    @Katalyst…Thanks bro. I guess this is ur first time here. Will check on ur blog too.

    @Olufunke…wow…now that’s one of the reasons to be careful around that thing!

    @ibiluv…lol! U wan dash me one?

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  9. Hey,

    Just came across your blog and i love it! keep up the good work.

    For valentines, i went to a dinner organised by a client and had a fab time. best part it i got lots of goodies.

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  10. Hey,

    Just came across your blog and i love it! keep up the good work.

    For valentines, i went to a dinner organised by a client and had a fab time. best part it i got lots of goodies.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hey,

    Just came across your blog and i love it! keep up the good work.

    For valentines, i went to a dinner organised by a client and had a fab time. best part it i got lots of goodies.

    ReplyDelete
  12. One of the things i have done is disable internet on my phone, it took up way too much time! Right now i am trying to break up with my laptop while at home.

    Another thing i do, i write notes to my clients and friends,(at work they are called the pink notes lol!) that way i dont have to text or call all the time.

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  13. hehehhehehhehe, nice writeup...

    Now...back to my BB!!!

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  14. @Pink auto...Thanks! I feel u on the distraction...but it can be so hard staying away from the internet

    @Afrobabe...I know say u don kolo finish...how u wan run from ya BB?

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  15. Liked this wri...

    Did someone just ping me? I will get back to thi...

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  16. Just noticed that the comment meant for valentine ended up on the blackberry one!

    I think it is all in the mind, i am nolonger attached to my phone as much as i used to, i read while in transit(facebook and her sisters had hijacked that time) The only reason i carry my phone with me is because of my job and family. I

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  17. HaHa Thank you for this I realised when I tried to talk to my sister yesterday she was paying no attention and just typing on her Blackberry I called her a Blackberry zombie. When I got home typed it in the search and got this blog. Love it!

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